Drivers Continue to Text, Talk and Drive Recklessly

A recent poll by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has revealed that about 87 percent of drivers engage in at least one form of reckless driving.

Some of these behaviors include running red lights, speeding, driving while distracted or even getting behind the wheel while under the influence. The results were revealed less than a month after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that there was an increase in traffic fatalities in 2015. According the NHTSA, there was a 9.3 percent increase in fatalities in the first nine months of 2015, compared to the same time period in 2014.

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety President and CEO, many motorists believe they are more careful than others on the road, but they continue to make unsafe decisions while driving.

Below is a sampling of some of the poll results, which surveyed drivers on their behaviors in the past 30 days.

Nearly 18 percent of drivers revealed they had driven without a seatbelt.

Thirteen percent of drivers got behind the wheel when their alcohol level might have been near or over the legal limit in the past year.

Nine percent of drivers reported driving under the influence more than once in the past year.

Nearly half of all drivers admitted to going at least 15 miles per hour over the posted speed limit on the freeway. Fifteen percent of those drivers admitted to doing so regularly.

About 70 percent of drivers reported talking on a cellphone while driving, while 30 percent said they did so often.

More than 40 percent of drivers said they had read a text or email while driving and 12 percent said they did so regularly.

Another 32 percent of drivers said they typed or sent a text or email while behind the wheel.

According to the poll, about one in three participants had a friend or loved one seriously injured in a car accident. One in five poll participants had been in an accident that resulted in someone being hospitalized.

Despite drivers understanding the risks of reckless driving, they continue to put themselves and others at risk.

D’Amico & Pettinicchi has seen the devastation that car accidents cause, not just physically, but mentally and financially. If you or someone you know has been hurt in a car wreck caused by reckless driving, contact our car accident lawyers for a free evaluation of your claim.